The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-15

Tho Northern Pacifc's Wise Decision.
The Northern Pacific Railroad Company
has decided to be guided by the policy
marked out in the Presidents letter in the
Guilford Miller case In our dispatches
yesterday it was stated that the company
would at once select the lands which it
claims without disturbing Guilford Miller
aud thousands of other settlers who have
located themselves within the indemnity
belt. This decision of the COM
pany is wise one. If it had
determined to make fight
in Congress for the lands occupied by set
tiers it would have met defeat. 1t may be
accepted as certain that in the future Con
gress will be guided by different policy in
dealing with the land grant railroads. For
years these roads have exertel a powerful
influence in Congress. They have got about
everything they lave asked for. The reason
was that they were owned by some of the
richest men in the country, and members of
Congress held their stock and were their at
torneys. They complied with their contracts
only in so far as it was their interest 20 do
so. They felt sure of their land grants,
whether they built their lines within the
time specified in their contracts or not.
The Northern Pacific Company has failed
many times to comply with its contract, but
it has suffered no loss of lands on that ac-
count. Indeed, it has been dealt with very
tenderly. Not only has its land grant,
forty miles wide throughout its entire length,
been reserved for it but millions of acres of
lands outside of its grant have been kept out
OF market for years for its ben
eft They are called Indemnity"
lands, and the company has the privilege of
taking SO much of them as may be necessary
to complete the number of acres its con-
tract calls for if there is not sufficient for
that purpose in the original grant. 1t is on
these indemnity lands that Guilford Millers
farm is located, and there are thousands of
other farms of honest settlers upon them.
The company wanted these farms because
they have been made valuable by improve
ments, and it would have taken them, in all
probability, if the President hadn't pre-
vented it.
The Republican organs have had no word
of praise for this act of the President. They
dare not assail him for it, because it would
be unpopular to do so, and they dare not
commend him, because that would be to
condemn about all the Republican admins
trations and all the Republican Congresses
They show their hostility to his policy, how
ever, by bitterly assailing officials of the
government who were instrumental in
bringing the land-grabbing scheme of the
Northern Pacific to his attention.
One of these officials is the Commissioner
of the Land Office, Gen. Sparks. For
months the New York Tribune and other
Republican organs have been waging Bit
ter war against him. Their aim is to drive
him out of office. The reason for their hos
| tility was not apparent to the public until it
became known that he was fighting the land
grant railroads, and was insisting that the
greater part of the celebrated Maxwell grant
in New Mexico, which Messrs. Dorsey and
| Elkins, Blaine's managers, bad sold to Hol-
| land syndicate, was fraudulent.
| Commissioner Sparks, however, has not
| been greatly disturbed by the abuse of the
Republican organs. He has the CONSCIOUS
| ness of having doneh duty. Thousands of
settlers on the indemnity" lands will thank
hAAA ApA lighting 81 fAlioitiJ lOT bneu
| rights and saving them from the rapacity of
| the Northern Pacific railroad. When Re-
| publican newspapers attack a Democratic
| official, it may be accepted as about certain
that he has INSTRUCTED some scheme of ras-
| cality in which Republicans are interested.
The land grant roads ought to be satisfied
with what has been given them In all,
| they have had about 155 O00. 900 acres or
! territory enough to make at least four
| States of the size of Georgia, They will
not find the present Congress so ready to
| grant concessions to them as previous Con
crosses have been. The Presidents course
indicates change of policy. 1t would not
be surprising if there should be a strong
effort made next winter to bring about a
forfeiture Of land grants which have not
been earned.